Container of dental alloy



June 30, 1964 G. KOBERNICK CONTAINER OF DENTAL ALLOY Filed March 20, 1962 IN VENTOR. GERALD KOBERN/CK BY HERBERT C. 50101.25

A TTOR/VEY United States Patent 3,139,180 CONTAINER OF DENTAL ALLOY Gerald Kohernick, San Diego, Calif., assignor to Koberloy, Inc, a corporation of California Filed Mar. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 181,064 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-47) This invention relates generally to dental equipment and accessories and procedures and more particularly to a new and improved method of pre-packaging, distributing and mixing dental alloys and to a particular device for accomplishing said method.

In the past, it has been desired to obtain a satisfactory method of accurately measuring and pre-packaging mercury and silver alloys used for dental amalgams. This has been diflicult because of the expensive equipment necessary for accurate measurements, particularly mercury, and because when the two are mixed together they must be used immediately.

In the present systems in use it is generally the practice to distribute low quantities of amalgam and mercury to dentists who thereupon measure the same with equipment available in their oflices which is not generally of high accuracy for this purpose and to place the same in a capsule with a mixing pestle and to allow the same to be mixed in a triturator or amalgamator which is a device which rapidly shakes the capsule back and forth with the materials thus being pounded together by the pestle within the capsule.

This particular method has numerous disadvantages because each time such device is used, the capsule must be carefully cleaned to avoid contamination of the next mixed materials, because the mercury has the tendency to be thrown out of the capsule due to the great forces being inserted and because of the difliculty of measuring accurate quantities each time the item is used.

In the past there have been some attempts made to divide the materials and supply them to dentists in a relatively pre-measured series of quantities.

I have even done a god deal of work along this line and have in the past devised at least two ways to accomplish the same. My methods, while showing some improvement over past methods have, nonetheless, fallen short of the perfect desired result.

I have thus continued to work upon the problem and have investigated the reasons for failure of the various devices including those which I have previously perfected.

I have solved the various problems inherent in this situation by preparing a fully divided capsule in which here is no membrane to be broken, but which has a sealed container in one part with a valving arrangement highly refined and with certain critical angles and the like attached in such a manner that the mercury is retained in one portion of the capsule, separate and apart from the silver until desired to be used at which time, due to the arrangement of the diiferent parts as will be hereinafter described in more detail, the mercury completely and rapidly may be transferred from the separate portion of the container to the portion containing the silver and mixing accomplished at once.

Thus it is an important object of this invention to provide a method for the supply of pre-packaged quantitles of mercury and amalgam ready for a dentist to prepare dental amalgams in his office with no further preparatory steps.

It is a further object of this invention to provide the said dental amalgam material in a disposable capsule designed to be accommodated in standard dental alloy mixing equipment.

It is a further object of this invention to provide 3,139,180 Patented June 30, 1964 a capsule which will not leak mercury when mixed in a triturator.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of supplying accurate quantities of mercury and silver so that a dentist may have uniform mixes of amalgam in his oflice.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will be clear to those skilled in the art upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a prespective of a preferred embodiment of a capsule of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a section on 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective of the valving insert from the upper side;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective of the-valving insert from the lower side;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective of the lower portion of the capsule; and

FIGURE 6 is a said capsule.

It will be observed that this capsule is composed of an upper and lower portion formed of plastic, metal or other suitable material.

The upper portion 10 comprises a dome-like hollow container opened at one end and having a narrowed enlarged portion 11 for easy gripping with the fingers and having a series of sharply pitched threads 12 on its inner surface as indicated.

The lower portion of the capsule is also a hollow domeshaped item having one end open and having an enlarged narrowed portion 21 for easy gripping with the fingers. The portion 21 has a series of sharply pitched threads 22 engaging those upon the other portion of the capsule and having a pitched smooth inner surface 23 to fit tightly against the inner surface 33 of the insert as will hereinafter be described.

The insert 30 has a stem 31 with a hole 32 suitable to accommodate and fit tightly by press fit upon and over the stem 14 in the upper segment 10 of the capsule. The upper segment 10 also has a shoulder 13 on its inner portion so that when the insert 30 is placed over the stem 14 as shown in the cross-section the insert 30 is also held in place against the shoulder 13.

The insert 30 has sharp and clearly defined edges 33 extending downwardly so as to match perfectly with the surface 23 of the lower portion of the capsule when the capsule is completely screwed together tightly as shown.

The insert 30 has a series of holes 34 as indicated and the main portion has a somewhat convex shape as indi cated so that the mercury 40 placed in the upper portion of the capsule will run towards the holes 34 due to the shape of the item.

The insert also has a convex under portion 35 shaped so that it forms a uniform hollow chamber having rounded ends with the inner portion of the lower half 20 of the capsule.

When the entire item is screwed together tightly as shown in the cross-section picture the holes 34 which act as an escape vent for the mercury are sealed tightly and thus form a valve as shown by the tapered surfaces 23 and 33.

These surfaces are held together tightly by the pulling action of the upper and lower sections of the capsule due to the sharply tapered threads 12 and 22 as indicated. By utilizing this type of thread, it is possible to have a very firm and hard grip against the surfaces 22 and 23 and against the shoulder 13 by the insert 30. Thus a tight seal is formed so that mercury cannot escape and be thrown out of the capsule when the same is later triturated or shaken in the mixing machine.

A pestle 42 comprising metal, plastic or other suitable perspective of the upper portion of device is placed with a quantity of silver 41 in the lower portion'of the capsule.

In practice the mercury 40 is placed in the upper portion of the capsule before the insert is placed therein.

The upper portion of the capsule is held upside down and the insert 30 is pressed down with the mercury already in place so that the stem 14 in the inner portion of the upper part of the capsule is pressed into the hole 32 in the stem 31 on the insert 30.

The mercury is thus entrapped within the space indi together and seal the holes 34 so the mercury cannot escape. At this point the capsule may be placed in any position whatsoever without danger of mixing of the contents and thus ruining the same.

When it is desired to use the capsule, the narrowed edges 11 and 21 are gripped by the fingers of either hand and the two portions of the capsules are unscrewed approximately a half a turn. The mercury immediately runs rapidly through the holes 34 and into the chamber formed in the lower portion of the capsule.

The capsule is then screwed together again, thus the mercury, silver and the pestle are all confined within the cavity-formed between the lower portion of the capsule and the'convex portion 35 of the insert 30.

The device is then placed upon the dental triturator and shaken 'for the required time until the contents mix. After this the top and bottom of the capsule are completely unscrewed and the contents are dropped onto a table or other place for immediate use. The entire unit may thereafter be disposed of. While the embodiment of this invention shown and described is fully capable of performing the objects and achieving the advantages desired, many modifications will be clear to those skilled in the art without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

It is not my intention to be limited to the specific embodiment shown which is for purposes of illustration only.

I claim:

1. A container for dental materials comprising: an upper hollow cylindrical section open at one end and closed at the other end, said closed end being generally spherically shaped convex outside and concave inside, said upper section having a stem depending from the i 4 center of said closed end inwardly towards the said open end of said upper section, a portion of the outside of said upper section being knurled, said upper section being provided with a shoulder midway its ends such that the inside portion of the cylinder toward the closed end is of smaller diameter than the inside toward the open end and a portion of the larger diameter inside surface adjacent the open end being provided with female threads; an insert comprising a hollow stem open at its upper end and closed at its lower end and having a flange extending outwardly about its closed end, the lower side of said flange having a concave central portion with the surrounding edge flaring outwardly and upwardly away from said concave portion, said edge having at least one aperture therein, said hollow stem being fitted over and upon the stern on the hollow upper cylindrical section with the outer upper edge of said flange fitting against the shoulder on the inner surface of the upper cylindrical section; and a lower hollow cylindrical section having its upper end open and its lower end closed, said closed end having a generally spherically shaped concave inside and convex outside, the open end of said lower section being provided with upwardly and outwardly flaring edge of the same pitch as the flaring edge of the flange on the insert, a portion, of the outside of said lower cylindrical section being knurled and the portion of the outside of said lower cylindrical section ad acent its open end being provided with male threads engaged in the female threads on the upper cylindrical section holding the two sections in normally closed position with the flared edges of the insert flange and the open end of the lower cylindrical section in contact so that the aperture in the insert flange is sealed by the the upper edge of the lower cylindrical section.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the diameters of the concave portion of the insert flange, the closed end of the lower cylindrical section and the internal bore of the lower cylindrical section are essentially equal.

3. The device of claim 1 in which there is a quantity 7 of mercury in the upper section, and a quantity'of silver and a mixing pestle in the lower section.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,464,273 Schopflocher Aug. 7, 1923 2,527,991 I Greenberg Oct. 31, 1950 2,527,992 Greenberg Oct. 31, 1950 2,813,649 Lipari Nov. 19, 1957 2,835,246 Boettger May 20, 1958 3,023,889 Barr Mar. 6, 1962 

1. A CONTAINER FOR DENTAL MATERIALS COMPRISING: AN UPPER HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL SECTION OPEN AT ONE END AND CLOSED AT THE OTHER END, SAID CLOSED END BEING GENERALLY SPHERICALLY SHAPED CONVEX OUTSIDE AND CONCAVE INSIDE, SAID UPPER SECTION HAVING A STEM DEPENDING FROM THE CENTER OF SAID CLOSED END INWARDLY TOWARDS THE SAID OPEN END OF SAID UPPER SECTION, A PORTION OF THE OUTSIDE OF SAID UPPER SECTION BEING KNURLED, SAID UPPER SECTION BEING PROVIDED WITH A SHOULDER MIDWAY ITS ENDS SUCH THAT THE INSIDE PORTION OF THE CYLINDER TOWARD THE CLOSED END IS OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE INSIDE TOWARD THE OPEN END AND A PORTION OF THE LARGER DIAMETER INSIDE SURFACE ADJACENT THE OPEN END BEING PROVIDED WITH FEMALE THREADS; AN INSERT COMPRISING A HOLLOW STEM OPEN AT ITS UPPER END AND CLOSED AT ITS LOWER END AND HAVING A FLANGE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY ABOUT ITS CLOSED END, THE LOWER SIDE OF SAID FLANGE HAVING A CONCAVE CENTRAL PORTION WITH THE SURROUNDING EDGE FLARING OUTWARDLY AND UPWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID CONCAVE PORTION, SAID EDGE HAVING AT LEAST ONE APERTURE THEREIN, SAID HOLLOW STEM BEING FITTED OVER AND UPON THE STEM ON THE HOLLOW UPPER CYLINDRICAL SECTION WITH THE OUTER UPPER EDGE OF SAID FLANGE FITTING AGAINST THE SHOULDER ON THE INNER SURFACE OF THE UPPER CYLINDRICAL SECTION; AND A LOWER HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL SECTION HAVING ITS UPPER END OPEN AND ITS LOWER END CLOSED, SAID CLOSED END HAVING A GENERALLY SPHERICALLY SHAPED CONCAVE INSIDE AND CONVEX OUTSIDE, THE OPEN END OF SAID LOWER SECTION BEING PROVIDED WITH UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FLARING EDGE OF THE SAME PITCH AS THE FLARING EDGE OF THE FLANGE ON THE INSERT, A PORTION OF THE OUTSIDE OF SAID LOWER CYLINDRICAL SECTION BEING KNURLED AND THE PORTION OF THE OUTSIDE OF SAID LOWER CYLINDRICAL SECTION ADJACENT ITS OPEN END BEING PROVIDED WITH MALE THREADS ENGAGED IN THE FEMALE THREADS ON THE UPPER CYLINDRICAL SECTION HOLDING THE TWO SECTIONS IN NORMALLY CLOSED POSITION WITH THE FLARED EDGES OF THE INSERT FLANGE AND THE OPEN END OF THE LOWER CYLINDRICAL SECTION IN CONTACT SO THAT THE APERTURE IN THE INSERT FLANGE IS SEALED BY THE THE UPPER EDGE OF THE LOWER CYLINDRICAL SECTION. 